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February 14, 2015

Author Guest Post + Spotlight: Drowning by Jassy de Jong

Hey everyone! Today I have a great guest post about Valentine's Day to share with you from author Jassy de Jong. Read on to hear her thoughts and check out her latest book!

Drowning

Author: Jassy de Jong

Genre: Romance

Release Date: October 1, 2014

Publisher: Astor + Blue Editions, LLC.

Descriptions:

Sensuous but stifled New
York City photographer Erin Mitchell thinks going to South Africa on
assignment will be the perfect getaway.

But when a flash flood
washes away Erin’s vehicle and she is stranded at a luxury safari lodge,
Erin’s romantic working vacation takes an interesting turn. She awakens
from her near-drowning and meets her rescuer, Nicholas―hot and
brilliant, successful and caring―not at all like her abusive husband. At
Leopard Rock in the steamy South African heat, Erin faces the toughest
choices of her life.

Nicholas is ripped, he's smart and he's
"no strings attached." To give in, or not to give in drowns Erin’s
senses as she struggles with two impossible goals: ignore the exquisite
physical charms of her host, and conceal every last detail whenever her
controlling husband calls. On the other side, Nicholas faces impossible
choices of his own, as the bon-vivant playboy may just possibly collide
with feelings more powerful than lust.

Erotic. Exotic. Wild. Drowning
sizzles in the African heat as one woman is stretched to the breaking
point by the strength of her vows and the intensity of her seething
primal desires.

I confess... I love Valentine’s Day.

Some
call it over-commercialized. I say that’s just as well. Thank goodness
for all those entrepreneurs out there, designing cards with hearts and
glitter, and making teddy bears on sticks and ruby pendants and
chocolates with red wrappers, and growing long stemmed roses. I mean,
what would we give as gifts otherwise? Easter eggs? Pumpkins?

Some
call it schmaltzy. Well, what do you expect? It’s a day celebrating
love. Soppy, doting, romantic, couply love. It’s all about hand holding,
intertwined fingers, long, deep gazes into each other’s eyes. It’s
about saying, “You’re so amazing,” and getting the answer, “No, you’re
so amazing, and then saying, “I’m so glad I met you,” and hearing, “No,
I’m so glad I met you. Here, have some more champagne.”

I
googled the origins of Valentine’s Day... I had a confused idea it was
something to do with a saint rescuing a lot of animals, which sounded
loving and very appropriate for a day filled with so much caring. But I
found out I was wrong. The animal rescuer was St. Francis of Assisi and
his celebration day is on October 4.

Valentine’s
Day doesn’t quite have the romantic roots I hoped it would. The ancient
Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia from February 13-15. During
this time they sacrificed a goat and a dog, and then, while drunk and
naked, whipped the women with the hides of the slaughtered animals. Say what?
I’m struggling to see the romance in that. Apparently the women
believed that a good beating made them more fertile, so they eagerly
lined up for their punishment.

There
was a matchmaking lottery as part of the festivities, where names were
drawn out of a hat. If the match was right, the couple would get
together for the duration of the festival.

Of
course, it wouldn’t be ancient Rome if there weren’t some executions
involved. History tells us that Emperor Claudius II executed two men,
both called Valentine, on February 14th, during different
years of his reign. Why on the same day? Who knows? But as a result, the
Catholic Church began commemorating this day to honor their martyrdom.

It
seems a big leap from whippings and slaughterings, to restaurants with
elegantly designed menus featuring oysters, with tables set up for two.
But seriously, aren’t we lucky in today’s modern times to be able to
unwrap a carefully chosen gift while waiting for our heart shaped
chocolate mousse to be served, instead of watching somebody flaying a
dead goat before they start flogging us with the skin?

Valentine’s Day. It’s all about gratitude.

Oh, and love, of course.

Jassy de Jong was inspired to write her first novel, Random Violence, after getting hijacked at gunpoint in her own driveway. She has written several other thrillers including Stolen Lives and The Place for Fallen Horses.
De Jong also edits a hair and beauty magazine. She lives in the
northern suburbs of Johannesburg with her partner Dion, two horses and
two cats.